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New Yorkers fed up with surge pricing and surly rideshare experiences, take note: A new player is about to pull up. YUR Drivers Network—a homegrown ride-sharing company promising no surge pricing, better driver pay and cutting-edge safety features—will officially launch in four NYC boroughs on July 1. (Staten Island, your ride’s coming soon.)
Founded by longtime entrepreneur and New York native Louis Paulucci, YUR is aiming to flip the script on traditional rideshare platforms. After logging more than 1,700 trips behind the wheel and talking directly with passengers and drivers, Paulucci says the message was loud and clear: Everyone feels exploited. “Drivers are running on fumes, feeling exploited, while passengers are frustrated by surge pricing and a lack of transparency,” he says. “It became clear: The rideshare industry needs a fundamental shift towards fairness for everyone involved.”
Enter YUR. The app will debut with approximately 250 drivers, all of whom are licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission and operate TLC-approved vehicles. What sets it apart? For starters, no surge pricing—ever. Whether it’s a rainstorm or rush hour, fares stay flat. YUR also pays its drivers up to 71-percent of each fare, what it claims is the highest cut in the business, with an extra 5-percent commission for anyone who refers a passenger or driver.
Safety is another cornerstone. Each driver must verify their identity through a patented in-app biometric scan before picking up a fare. Riders get a real-time “all clear” notification confirming the driver’s ID. “It’s like having a digital doorman,” says Paulucci. “You step into your ride with the confidence of knowing exactly who’s behind the wheel.”
But perhaps the most eyebrow-raising feature is YUR’s built-in revenue-sharing model. Anyone who refers a friend to the platform, whether as a driver or passenger, gets 5-percent of that person’s future rides deposited into their app wallet. That cash can be used toward rides or withdrawn. According to Paulucci, it’s “a cash register constantly ringing for you.”
YUR’s pricing model, community-driven feedback platform and launch-day promo (10-percent off your first ride) are all part of a bigger plan to create a more transparent and equitable ride-share ecosystem.
It’s an ambitious pitch in a city that doesn’t exactly love change, but with enough buzz and a few seamless rides, YUR might just steer New Yorkers in a new direction.